A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States must seize the opportunity to create millions of jobs, become a net exporter of clean energy, and secure a better, more equitable future by accelerating the electrification of households, buildings, and businesses in the United States, modernizing the United States electricity grid, and continuing on the path towards decarbonizing electricity generation in the United States by 2035.

III 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 224 Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States must seize the opportunity to create millions of jobs, become a net exporter of clean energy, and secure a better, more equitable future by accelerating the electrification of households, buildings, and businesses in the United States, modernizing the United States electricity grid, and continuing on the path towards decarbonizing electricity generation in the United States by 2035. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 18, 2021 Mr. HEINRICH (for himself, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. KLO- BUCHAR, Mr. BENNET, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WYDEN, Ms. ROSEN, Ms. WARREN, Mr. LUJA´N, and Mr. KING) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States must seize the opportunity to create millions of jobs, become a net exporter of clean energy, and secure a better, more equitable future by accelerating the elec- trification of households, buildings, and businesses in the United States, modernizing the United States elec- tricity grid, and continuing on the path towards decarbonizing electricity generation in the United States by 2035. VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 May 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\SR224.IS SR224 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 224 IS Whereas the United States enjoys an abundance of clean en- ergy resources, world-class research facilities, cutting- edge industrial capabilities, and an unrivaled culture of entrepreneurship and technological innovation; Whereas, as of the date of adoption of this resolution, tech- nology exists to power the majority of energy systems in the United States with zero-emission electricity; Whereas achieving widespread electrification— (1) will reduce the overall energy needs of the United States economy by up to 50 percent; and (2) can substantially decrease overall consumer en- ergy costs while maintaining the same or better lifestyles for individuals and families in the United States; Whereas national and subnational economies around the world, including in the United States, are engaged in a fundamental transition away from energy systems based on fossil fuels to zero-emission energy systems; Whereas the United States has the opportunity to become a clean energy superpower, and in the process has the op- portunity— (1) to become a net exporter of bulk zero-emission electricity and of products made with zero-emission elec- tricity; (2) to capture new and expanding power and tech- nology markets; (3) to benefit from the ongoing global transition away from fossil fuel energy towards widespread elec- trification using zero-emission electricity; and (4) to become an international leader in the produc- tion and adoption of zero-emission vehicles; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 May 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR224.IS SR224 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 224 IS Whereas climate change caused by human activities, espe- cially by greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel com- bustion, represents a serious, present, and growing threat— (1) to human health, security, and economic well- being; and (2) to the environment; Whereas low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the harmful effects of climate change and air pollution, including being at a higher risk of experiencing— (1) severe floods, droughts, and wildfires; (2) economic dislocation; and (3) significant health problems, including pneu- monia, asthma, bronchitis, heart attacks, strokes, and lung cancer; Whereas transitioning the energy systems of the United States to zero-emission electricity would— (1) drastically reduce net greenhouse gas emissions in the United States; (2) improve air and water quality throughout the United States; and (3) improve numerous health conditions associated with the burning of fossil fuels for millions of individuals in the United States; Whereas the work required to electrify the economy of the United States would produce millions of high-paying, sus- tainable jobs that would— (1) be created throughout the United States, includ- ing in urban, rural, suburban, and Tribal communities; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 May 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR224.IS SR224 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 224 IS (2) require directly translatable skills from individ- uals who, as of the date of adoption of this resolution, hold jobs in— (A) the fossil fuel industry; (B) the construction and building industry; (C) the electricity industry, including residential and commercial electricians; and (D) the automotive industry; Whereas the average household in the United States spends, as of the date of adoption of this resolution, approxi- mately $4,500 per year on energy, including $2,000 per year on vehicle fuel; Whereas, with supportive policy, households in the United States can save up to half of their annual energy costs by electrifying their household energy systems, including through— (1) the installation of— (A) rooftop or distributed photovoltaic solar and home battery systems; (B) electric heat pumps and electric heat pump water heaters; and (C) electric household appliances; and (2) the purchase of electric vehicles; Whereas many low- and moderate-income families in the United States lack access to credit and financing options that would enable those families to install money-saving electrified household energy systems; Whereas reaping the benefits of electrification could be made more accessible and cost-effective for individuals in the United States, so that the access and costs compare more favorably with other countries, by— VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 May 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR224.IS SR224 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 224 IS (1) reducing the up-front capital outlays typically re- quired; and (2) decreasing the cost of local permitting and regu- lations for rooftop solar and other distributed renewable energy generation in the United States; Whereas investments in energy efficiency programs can— (1) reduce the size and cost of electric heating sys- tems; (2) help increase systemic resiliency to periods of ex- treme temperature; and (3) in addition to other investments in infrastruc- ture, help improve the ability of the electric power grid to serve peak electric demand; Whereas utility-scale wind and solar installations are among the lowest-cost sources of electricity available in the United States; Whereas additional interregional high-voltage direct-current electricity transmission capacity— (1) is critical to the development of new clean energy generation; and (2) can help ensure reliable and consistent electricity supply; and Whereas supporting rapid electrification and innovation in all sectors of the United States economy while transitioning to zero-emission electricity production using proven gen- eration technologies is one of the fastest, most efficient ways to reduce United States greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the average energy bills of people of the United States, and create millions of good-paying jobs to put in- dividuals in the United States back to work in response to the COVID–19 pandemic: Now, therefore be it VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 May 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR224.IS SR224 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •SRES 224 IS Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 1 (1) the United States must seize the oppor- 2 tunity to create millions of jobs, become a net ex- 3 porter of clean energy, and secure a better, more eq- 4 uitable future by accelerating the electrification of 5 households, buildings, and businesses in the United 6 States, modernizing the United States electricity 7 grid, and continuing on the path towards decarboni- 8 zing electricity generation in the United States by 9 2035; 10 (2) the goals described in paragraph (1) are 11 consistent with, and should be achieved through, ef- 12 forts that prioritize the objectives of— 13 (A) creating millions of good-paying jobs, 14 with collective bargaining agreements, and ad- 15 vancing a thriving, equitable economy with an 16 expanded middle class; 17 (B) maintaining the global leadership of 18 the United States in innovation; 19 (C) ensuring that not less than 40 percent 20 of the benefits of Federal investments in elec- 21 trification efforts flow to historically margina- 22 lized communities and individuals dispropor- 23 tionately affected by the health and environ- 24 mental impacts of fossil fuels; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 May 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR224.IS SR224 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •SRES 224 IS (D) rehiring through place-based policies, 1 retraining, and certifying, for electrification and 2 clean energy jobs, individuals that, as of the 3 date of adoption of this resolution, hold jobs in 4 the fossil fuel industry (referred to in this reso- 5 lution as ‘‘energy veterans’’); 6 (E) advancing strong labor and safety 7 standards throughout the supply chain by using 8 certain Federal provisions, including— 9 (i) chapter 83 of title 41, United 10 States Code (commonly known as the 11 ‘‘Buy American Act’’); and 12 (ii) subchapter IV of chapter 31 of 13 part A of subtitle II of title 40, United 14 States Code (commonly known as the 15 ‘‘Davis-Bacon Act’’); 16 (F) decreasing the harmful health and en- 17 vironmental impacts of climate change, which 18 fall disproportionately on low-income people and 19 communities of color in the United States; 20 (G) ensuring access to low-cost, reliable 21 electricity for individuals, families, and busi- 22 nesses, while recognizing and addressing the 23 infrastructural challenges in rural and Tribal 24 communities; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 May 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR224.IS SR224 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •SRES 224 IS (H) modernizing the electric power grid of 1 the United States and its operations to increase 2 the security, resilience, reliability, fairness, and 3 flexibility of the electric power grid; 4 (I) transforming existing industries in the 5 United States into 21st century industries that 6 use and produce clean energy; and 7 (J) enhancing the national security of the 8 United States, including the cybersecurity of 9 the electric power grid; and 10 (3) to succeed, the goals described in paragraph 11 (1) and the objectives described in paragraph (2) 12 should be accomplished through efforts that— 13 (A) electrify the activities of high-emissions 14 sectors, such as the residential and commercial 15 construction, transportation, and industrial sec- 16 tors, including by— 17 (i) supporting and incentivizing the 18 residential and commercial deployment of 19 electric technologies, including battery 20 storage systems, electric heat pumps, elec- 21 tric induction stoves, electric vehicle char- 22 gers, and electric water heaters; 23 (ii) supporting the expansion of resi- 24 dential, commercial, and public electric ve- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 May 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR224.IS SR224 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •SRES 224 IS hicle charging infrastructure, including in 1 rural areas and low- and moderate-income 2 communities; 3 (iii) supporting the widespread elec- 4 trification of public transportation systems, 5 including the expansion of public transpor- 6 tation systems in rural and suburban com- 7 munities; and 8 (iv) investing in research, develop- 9 ment, demonstration, and deployment pro- 10 grams for electrification of key industrial 11 processes; 12 (B) increase the deployment of zero-emis- 13 sion electricity resources, including by— 14 (i) expanding investment in zero-emis- 15 sion electricity generation; 16 (ii) lowering the permitting and hard- 17 ware costs, and streamlining the process, 18 of installing distributed energy systems; 19 (iii) improving the permitting and 20 leasing processes for zero-emission elec- 21 tricity generation facilities on public land 22 and offshore waters within the jurisdiction 23 of the United States; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 May 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR224.IS SR224 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •SRES 224 IS (iv) ending subsidies for fossil fuel de- 1 velopment on both public and private land; 2 (C) invest in energy efficiency programs 3 paired with electrification measures, including 4 household weatherization and high efficiency 5 electric heating and cooling systems; 6 (D) expand interregional transmission ca- 7 pacity and planning to promote widespread and 8 reliable zero-emission electrification; 9 (E) adopt and expand the use of tech- 10 nologies and processes that will make the elec- 11 tric power grid more resilient, reliable, and effi- 12 cient; 13 (F) improve commercial, infrastructural, 14 and manufacturing capacity for zero-emission 15 electrification, including by— 16 (i) identifying and encouraging best 17 practices for organizing electrification mar- 18 kets across communities and streamlining 19 local regulations and permitting require- 20 ments; 21 (ii) upgrading home-load centers to 22 support the power supply necessary for 23 widespread household electrification; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 May 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR224.IS SR224 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •SRES 224 IS (iii) setting national standards for 1 electrification projects that align elec- 2 trification markets across jurisdictions, 3 while still allowing for private sector inno- 4 vation and technological advances; and 5 (iv) expanding and electrifying manu- 6 facturing facilities so that the United 7 States can produce and export products 8 made with clean energy; 9 (G) increase the available financing for 10 zero-emission electrification supporting tech- 11 nologies at all scales, from utility-scale power 12 stations and transmission lines to individual 13 homes and businesses, including by— 14 (i) providing seed funding for a clean 15 energy and sustainability accelerator that 16 will leverage public and private investment 17 in zero-emission electricity across the 18 United States; 19 (ii) adopting policies to increase avail- 20 able financing for distributed zero-emission 21 electricity generation, especially by [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]